Dating

If You Want to Test Your Relationship, Take Your Partner to a Hotel With a Sex Package

The sex package essentially forced us to put our physical relationship in the foreground and figure out whether it was sustainable in the long-term.

Some couples seeking sensual vacations go to resorts, like Hedonism and Desire, that are explicitly sex-themed, with clothing-optional areas and playrooms for public sex. But now, more and more, good old-fashioned hotels are offering sex packages to travellers looking to spice up their relationships in more conventional settings. One such place is Hotel Zetta in downtown San Francisco, whose Let’s Vibe package aims to make couples’ vacations extra romantic with a selection of sex toys and accessories it dubs the “couples’ intimacy kit.”


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Other hotels have their own versions of these. Toronto’s Drake Hotel has a “pleasure menu” with vibrators, cock rings, lube, and other sex products. Z Hotel in Queens, New York has a “naughty” package that comes with an erotic gamebook and a box of sex toys. And Seattle exploded with Fifty Shades of Grey packages soon after the famous series came out.

So what is it like to use one of these packages? Here's a look at my experience.

Let's Get to It

When I got to Hotel Zetta, I was a little shy about checking in, with the concierge potentially knowing what I’d be up to in the room. But he put my mind at ease by not saying anything about it. When I arrived at the room, the intimacy kit was on the desk in a cute black bag that read, “eat, sleep, orgasm, repeat.”

The bag held metal handcuffs, two Paradise lubricated condoms, a silicon vibrating cock ring with two bullets, two batteries to go with it, two packets of Wet water-based lube, and a black-and-white-striped, plastic, waterproof bullet vibrator. The Let’s Vibe packages includes this collection, as well as a $25 food and beverage credit.

I went with a partner I’d only been dating for about three months, so I saw this as a way to potentially deepen our relationship: four days of just us and sex toys. When he met me there on that first night, we hadn’t seen each other in a while, so we had sex right away, not thinking about the products. I figured we’d have plenty of time to use them on the rest of the trip.


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Read: Stay Safe: Tips for Protecting Yourself When You're Dating Online

An Unforeseen Detour

Instead, something unexpected happened. We spent the next night up late talking, but we had no urge to have sex again. I figured we might the following night, but he wasn’t feeling up for it. The day after that, after another night spent talking, I realized I didn’t have the desire to have sex with him either. I’d actually always seen him as a bit more of a friend than a lover, and this vacation was confirming to me that we were probably better off friends.

On the last night, I admitted to myself that I actually didn’t want to sleep next to him, partly because he’d been waking me up all night by moving around, but also because I just wasn’t viewing him in a romantic way. We agreed to split up and stay in two separate rooms that night then meet back up the next day for our flight. There was no animosity, just a mutual understanding that we weren’t feeling amorous toward each other.

I didn’t want the room’s special amenities to completely go to waste, so I took out the lube and vibrator after my guest left and had a sexy night to myself. The vibrator was basic, with a smooth cylindrical body and a twisty handle that increased the level of vibration, but it was powerful and definitely got the job done— twice, actually. I also tried on the handcuffs just for kicks. I was grateful that they were easy to get on and off. I went to bed feeling content about my night in.

Read: Vacation Sex! TSA Tips, Tricks and the Best Toys for Travel


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A Fitting Test

The day after I got back, I told a friend about my strange trip, asking if I should give this guy another chance or if this was it. “I mean, if you go on a vacation in a romantic room full of sex toys and you still don’t find yourselves wanting to have a sexual relationship, I think you already have your answer,” she said.

She was probably right. Even though my trip didn’t go anywhere near the way I expected, I’m grateful that it gave me the opportunity to test my new relationship. The sex package essentially forced us to put our physical relationship in the foreground and figure out whether it was sustainable in the long-term. Now that we’ve had that opportunity, we can transition to being friends more quickly and painlessly than we otherwise might.

Plus, I got to take the sex toys home, so I can’t complain.

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Suzannah Weiss

Suzannah Weiss is a feminist writer, certified sex educator, and sex/love coach. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more.

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